Hubert and June Malicote: Ohio couple turning 100 'haven't fought once' in 79 years of marriage!
A couple from Ohio who celebrated their 79th wedding anniversary in June are now celebrating their 100th birthday together. A joint birthday celebration for the couple was held at the Eaton Road Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio, on Friday, July 22, for family, friends, and church members.
Hubert Malicote said, "We just kind of live by the day and then we're 100 years old," in a phone interview with Fox News Digital. "The Eaton Road Church of God had a different name when we first met in 1941."
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Hubert Malicote and June Malicote were born on July 13 and 23, respectively, in 1922, 10 days apart from one another. About 130 guests attended to celebrate the event with the couple.
In September of that year, they each took a group of friends to a church revival. Hubert gave June his best smile as she was seated in the pew directly behind him. He had a crush on her.
He recalled how, following the ceremony, he and other young people went to get ice cream, spoke, and enjoyed a pleasant day together at a shop down the street. "No automobiles of any kind were present. She consequently took her own path, and I did the same. I knew roughly how I was going to get in touch. I then made the decision to attend church," he said.
So he took a trip to church on Sunday and found her there. We sat down and had a great discussion. After a few weeks of this, they went on their first date to a county fair. Hubert and June shared their first kiss in June's home following the fair.
He was unsure of what to do and said, "I didn't know what to do. I was a country lad at heart back then, and I was only 19 years old. I was of the opinion that she looked lovely in red. I reached over and kissed her and gave her a quick hug." He was so terrified of their kiss that he bolted from the room.
He naturally worried about June's response to his abrupt departure. When he saw June again, he discovered that "nothing was wrong" and "there was no resentment." They experienced a year of blossoming love and friendship.
Hubert enlisted in the US Navy for World War II. His training at the Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois was followed by torpedo school in Newport, Rhode Island.
In order to support the war effort, June stayed by his side and worked at an Ohio equipment company. "With the speed, I was unable to keep up. It was time to make a decision about what to do next so, we decided it was time to get married." said Hubert.
The couple traveled to Indiana for the night in order to obtain the pre-marital blood test that was required at the time in order to obtain a marriage license. To get married in the same church where their romance began, they made their way back to Hamilton as soon as possible. June created a bouquet of roses using climbing roses from the church porch while wearing a cousin's clothing.
Hubert and June got married by their pastor on June 8, 1943.
Hubert was compelled to board a train and travel across the country because his deployment had started soon after their lovely wedding. He traveled between Honolulu and San Francisco and spent two years developing torpedoes and submarine serpents in Pearl Harbor.
Hubert said on Fox News Digital, "We were not allowed any telephones or telegraphs—any communication that might indicate where we were." One night, 'a grass skirt' was hanging in the commissary. "That kind of struck me with the idea," he said. “If I could get that back to [June], she might be able to figure out where I was. So I sent it to her, and two or three weeks later I received a parcel from a lovely lady dressed in a grass skirt. That message was sent, and we now know the answer.”
After completing his military service in 1945, Hubert went back to his hometown of San Diego. "I wrote a telegram to my wife [informing her] of when I will be back," Hubert continued. "There was nobody waiting for us when we got to the train station in Anderson, Indiana. But there she was again, that stunning little girl, dressed to the nines, strolling along the longer track of the train. The conductor said, "She's waiting for you. Congratulations on arriving on time!"
The pair reunited, built their home on a five-acre ranch and raised three children, Jo, Sam and Theresa, who are all adults now. "Now they're married and raising their families," Hubert said, noting that he and June have seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
He said, "It's been a wonderful, wonderful marriage." According to June, Hubert and June are a great match, and their marriage has been wonderful. It has been "so easy to get along with each other," as June put it. "We haven't fought once," she said. However, she suffered a stroke two years ago, which affected her speech.
Jo Malicote, who spoke to Fox News Digital, claimed that neither of her parents had ever reprimanded the other. “We may have had some disputes. However, we’ve always found a method to fix them" Hubert stated. “We’ve always held the belief that you shouldn’t do anything to injure someone you care about. And if you have a problem or a disagreement, don’t let it fester; think about it, talk it out, and then move on.”
June, on the other hand, remarked that she found it simpler to maintain the peace because her husband is attractive. The Malicotes have been members of their congregation for many years and have served in many leadership capacities.
Hubert said, "My wife has done an excellent job making cantatas for Christmas, and I'm proud of her," citing his experience in music and the fact that his wife is a choir conductor. "I've always believed that a happy home is where God is. So far, life has simply been enjoyable. Any time people work well together, it's a plus. a pleasant place to live", he continued.
The couple hasn't yet made a specific birthday wish. They managed to blow out all 100 birthday candles on their cake with the help of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Hubert doesn't know why the two of them have been so fortunate as to share their 100th birthdays, but according to their daughter Jo, it's probably in their genes. "The age of my grandfather was 104. My father's great-grandfather lived for a century and a half, from 1822 to 1922," she said.
June and Hubert are both natives of Kentucky, and they both inherited their parents' farming abilities. "We raised and slaughtered chickens for our household. My father had his own beef cattle, so we could raise our own food from scratch, whether it was pig, beef, or chicken", Jo said.
“We ate everything from green beans to beets to lettuce because Mom had so many gardens. We had it if it grew in Ohio. And Mom preserved it in various ways, including canning, freezing, and drying. In other words, we ate well before it was fashionable.” Jo carried on, saying, “Health publications are encouraging people to cultivate their own food now. They were raised in this manner. You would die of starvation if you didn’t cook your own meals in their time. As a result, they mastered this skill as children. That’s how they raised us, too.”
"I think the reason my parents have lived so long is because they've always had something to keep them busy." Jo noticed that their work ethic hasn't changed over time. "We own our five acres, so there is never a shortage of things to fix there," Jo Malicote continued.